Wednesday 2nd January 2013 - 4:08pm

The Scottish Government has announced a loan fund of £4.5 million to bring 400 empty properties back into use.
The fund will be made available to private owners to renovate empty homes in exchange for them being made available as affordable housing for at least five years.
There are currently 25,000 homes across Scotland that are classified as long-term empty.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who made the announcement, said: "Empty homes are a blight on many communities across Scot...